I hope this letter finds you all in good spirits. It now time to turn our clocks on Sunday, get another hour’s sleep and start thinking about what accompaniments are going with the turkey.

This past Monday was our October monthly meeting. Joe Mastro did a presentation on ice carving. He explained how ice carving evolved from the time of using a 6 prong ice chipper and Japanese carving tools to chain saws, die grinders, and irons to the computerized CNC Router that are now used for more precise and accurate rendition of almost anything you want. He mentioned that one of the advantages of the machines is that once the picture or drawing in programed into the computer, you can make the same sculpture a year later and get the exact rendition as the previous one. The ice has changed as well. The blocks are crystal clear and the result is a more eye appealing sculpture. One of the sculptures he made was the ACF logo. The logo had the pleats on the chef’s hat, blue stars, and red and blue wavy lines for the flag. The colors were made by pouring colored sand into recesses in the ice. The sand was then held in place with “snow” - a byproduct of the ice carving process – which was packed in behind the sand. It’s a whole new way of designing ice. One sculpture that has become very popular is a “luge” where a channel is cut into two pieces of ice so that they line up when the ice is sealed closed. When a beverages is poured into the top of the ice, the liquid flows through the channel into a glass at the bottom. It is a very impressive way to serve ice-cold beverages.

Joe and his brother Mike have been supporters of the ACF for over twenty-five years. Over the years, they’ve given ice carving classes to many of the city’s finest carvers. Today, they spend their time on this business and leave most of the carving to the artists that work at the ice plant. Joe Mastro’s presentation and demo were live-streamed and can be watched at https://youtu.be/-i7iRyqqY0s

November’s meeting will be a social meeting. Please bring your spouses or a guest and enjoy a fine evening of comradery and great food. This is the last meeting of the year and will be held at Mac and Tozz in Bridgeville. Chef Randy Tozzi one of our city’s most well-known and respected chefs. Reservations are requested for this meeting. More information to follow.

The ACF’s Master Chef’s Exam was last month. Ten chefs started the week-long test and three passed. Parts of the test were live-streamed and are available on Youtube. Congratulations to the 2017 American Culinary Federation Certified Master Chefs: Gerald Ford, CMC; Joseph Leonardi, CMC; and Shawn Loving, CMC, CCA. I’d also like to mention that our Chef’s Spot Light for this month’s newsletter will feature Chef Byron Bardy, CMC, AAC. Chef Bardy has had a career that is over 50 years young and still going strong!!!!

Finally want to I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. It’s important to take the time to spend with your family and friends, you deserve the time as much as they do. Remember, they are the backbone and strength of what makes us who we are.